President Obama says football player Micheal Vick deserves a shot at redemption.

President Obama touched off a new round of debate in late December when, during a phone call with the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Obama praised the team for giving a second chance to quarterback Michael Vick, who has risen to stardom in the National Football League 19 months after leaving prison for his role in a notorious dogfighting ring.

Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, told the Washington Post that Obama “of course condemns the crimes that Michael Vick was convicted of, but, as he’s said previously, he does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again.”

A number of people commenting in the blogosphere have backed the president, while critics have attacked Obama’s stance on Vick, who owned the notorious Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia, where under-performing pit bulls were drowned, clobbered with shovels or hung, among other methods.

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